Hermione's Big Day
by Crystal Music
Summary: 6th year: Hermione finally spills to Ron that she likes Harry. But Cho gets to him first -- and before you know it, poor misguided Cho has led Harry into a Voldemort trap, and it's up to Hermione to save him!
1. Hermione's Big Day

_A/N: First fic! First fic! Please be kind! But pleeease review! _

  
  
  
  


Hermione paced nervously back and forth in the empty Charms classroom on the fourth floor. Her friend Ron, a tall individual with flaming red hair, watched her progress with slightly narrowed eyes from atop a Charms desk. 

  
  


"Hermione, you're going to gouge a hole in the floor," he commented as she stalked back and forth, her hands twisting at the small of her back.

  
  


"I can't _help_ it, Ron!" she announced, flinging her arms in the air and plopping herself into the desk next to him. "I can't tell him - I can't!"

  
  


Ron studied her for a moment before answering. It was now their sixth and almost final year at Hogwarts, and Hermione was nearly as tall as he was. She had had her teeth shrunken to normal size in their fourth year, and took better time to dress herself flatteringly, all because of a certain person she wanted to impress. Ron groaned. 

  
  


"Why, Hermione?" he said. "Why Harry? All these years we've been together, you've never said a word about liking him as more than a friend." 

  
  


"I _know,_ Ron!" she snapped. "I don't know exactly how it happened. He's just so - brave, I guess. Brave, and polite, and cute, and all those things that girls think are great in a guy!" (Ron took mental note.) "I guess I always did have sort of a crush on him - but what girl couldn't? I mean, all those books about him - defeating Voldemort -- and he's so good at Quidditch -"

  
  


"I s'pose that's why Cho likes him."

  
  


Hermione glared at him. "I suppose _Cho_ might," she said, spitting out the word like a mouthful of poison - or Hagrid's treacle pudding. 

Ron sighed. "What is with you and her? She's never done anything to you!"

"Exactly - not one word. I just don't like her. There's something kind of, uh, I don't know .. _dangerous_ about her. She doesn't seem to me like Harry's type."

"And who is? You?"

"I didn't say that!" She colored slightly. "I guess I should have known better than to ask you for help about this." 

"Well, it's kind of a shock, you know."

"How could it be that much of a shock?" she demanded, jumping off the desk and planting her hands on her hips. "Just because you're a guy doesn't mean you've missed all of Harry's good qualities."

"Don't get started on that again."

"Urh, Ron!" she groaned, stalking away and dropping into another desk and running her hands through her hair. "I knew I was making a mistake when I told you this! Just go, then, if you're just going to make wisecracks at everything I say."

That struck Ron in a rather sensitive spot. He was between girlfriends now, and Lavender (his latest ex) had given one of the reasons for their breakup rather violently. "You just don't know how to listen!" she had told him, tears in her eyes. "You make everything in life a joke. Well, Ron, you can't go on doing that to people when they tell you their secrets - you're going to be sorry one day!"

"I can listen!" he said loudly to Hermione, who looked surprised. 

"All right, then," she said, rather surprised. "Prove it. What am I going to do about Harry?"

"You need to seriously boost up your self-confidence. You've got to work up the nettle and go up to him and ask him out."

"I can't do that!" Hermione cried, her eyes wide with horror. "What if - what if he says no? Then our friendship will be gone forever!" She flung herself dramatically down on one of the desks, her head pillowed on her arms. Ron leaned over and patted her awkwardly. 

"Ron - you! You can!" She straightened up suddenly and leapt out of the desk, staring at him in surprised delight.

"Can what?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"I don't know why I never thought of it before! Ron - you can ask Harry what he feels about me. He trusts you, he'll tell you -- and you can tell me!"

"And how exactly am I going to do this?" 

"Just do it really casually. You know, when you guys are up - comparing Quidditch teams, or whatever you do up there in your rooms after dark."

"Hermione?" Ron started to laugh.

"Oh, don't deny it, Ron! I've heard you guys up talking and moving around up there all the time at ungodly hours after the lights are out! But anyway, just ask Harry real casual-like, see what he says." 

"Hermione, I-"

"Great!" She flounced around the room. "Thanks so much, Ron! You're a lifesaver - you're such a good friend!"

"Mind telling Lavender that?" Ron said, watching her twirl around the room. 

"Don't worry, Ron. Things will work out in the end between you and Lavender. If she's not meant for you, so what? You're a great guy. You deserve someone who's right for you."

"That sounds rather suspiciously like flattery."

She stopped twirling and staggered back to Ron, dizzy. "Come on. Go talk to Harry about me. Please?"

"Oh, all right," Ron said, getting regretfully off his desk. "Remember, don't blame me if he's hideously embarrassed and won't answer." 

*

  
  


Cho Chang sat at the edge of the Hogsmeade lake, looking out over the glittering water and letting the breeze blow back her short black hair. Her head was pillowed on her arms, and she thought longingly back to the days when she and Cedric would come down to Hogsmeade and sit at this very bench.

_If only_, she thought sadly, looking out across the rippling smooth lake waters, _if I could only see you one more time .. I'd take back that stupid argument about the ruby earrings you gave me. I'd wrap you in my arms and you'd kiss me like you used to do.._

"He was a great man."

Cho gave a startled gasp and her head came up off her arms to look in surprise at the black-hooded boy who was suddenly sitting beside her.

"Where did you come from?" she sputtered, her heart pounding.

The boy, who looked about her age, continued to stare out across the water. "I knew him too," he said.

Something about the brown-haired boy intriuged Cho. She sat a little closer. "What did you say?"

"Cedric. He was my friend when he and I were young. I moved just before he went to Hogwarts. He was always the one to play by the rules; honest, fair, and sincere. Of course I never told him that, being eleven years old," the boy added with a wry laugh. 

Cho sat in silence. She could see him, she could see her Cedric, playing with this boy, the one who always was willing to share his toys and help a younger child fight off a bully. She gulped and tears sprang into her eyes. 

"You loved him, didn't you," said the boy, turning to her. He was not handsome - especially not like Cedric was - he had a wiry face and watery clear eyes. 

Cho forced down a sob and answered. "I did."

"You must've hated him after that," said the boy, turning back to look out at the water.

"You-know-who? Yes."

"No!" said the boy, turning again to look at her with intensity suddenly in his face. "Not he-who-must-not-be-named! Potter. Harry Potter."

"What?" Cho stared at him. "Why would I hate him? He brought Cedric's body back after you-know-who killed him! And he wants to try and help me through this, I know he does. He's always had a sort of crush on me, I think."

"No," repeated the boy, shaking his head, keeping his gaze on her. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" 

"Great Wizards. What a lying little thief. I mean, I knew he was bad, he'd fooled even Dumbledore into thinking it was you-know-who, but for you not to have found out.." He shook his head slowly. "He's a more formidable enemy than I thought."

"You think _Harry_ killed Cedric?" Cho cried. "Are you _mad?"_

"You've never wondered why he's never told anyone about it?" the brown-haired boy asked. "Why he left with Cedric, and then came back with Cedric's body and no proof whatsoever? Why he even put his name in the Goblet? To compete with Cedric, of course. He hated Cedric."

It was true, Cho thought, remembering the image of Harry at the Yule Ball two years ago, the look on his face when he watched Cedric and her dancing. The stupor everyone went around in after Cedric beat him at Quidditch. "But why?" she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why?"

"Because of you, Cho. He's always liked you, you even said so. Plus, from what I heard, Cedric beat him at Quidditch once. He's so big-headed he couldn't stand the thought of you loving someone else, or that someone was better at him than Quidditch." 

The boy got up and prepared to leave, dusting sand off his black robes. "I would watch out for him if I were you, Cho. From what Cedric told me before he died, Harry is pretty unstable up here." He tapped his head. "See you around, I suppose."

"No - wait!" Cho grabbed the hem of his robes, anger swelling in her. "Don't go - please. If Harry really did k-kill Cedric, are you j-justing going to l-let him go?" Her speech was blurred with tears and hatred. 

"I can't do anything to him. I'm not at Hogwarts."

"B-but _I_ am!" Cho said. "Leave it to me!"

The boy studied her, his face beginning to light with a smile. "All right. You get him to take you on a date -- no doubt he'll say yes -- and you bring him down here for the next Hogsmeade visit. Halloween, right?"

She nodded.

"You see that trail?" He pointed to a trail into the forest that surrounded Hogsmeade and led up the mountain. 

"Yeah?"

"Bring him there. Just you and him. Don't worry, we'll make sure he doesn't hurt you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Cho hesitated. She had never seen Harry be anything but nice. But Cedric's face rose before her, and she had a sudden, horrible mental image of Harry, maniac laughter in his face, standing over Cedric with a wand, shouting the words Mad-Eye-Moody had taught them .. _Avada Kedavra_ ...

"I'll do it," she said.

"Good." The boy grinned at her. "You won't be sorry. Think of what you're doing for Cedric. You're avenging his death."

"Yeah," Cho said, hatred coursing through her. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I am."

*

  
  


"All right," Hermione whispered to Ron as they climbed the steps back towards the Great Hall, as it was lunch time. "You're going to do it really casually, right?" She clutched his arm and Ron looked irritably at her. 

"I can't if you're hanging on my arm the whole time." 

She released him guiltily. Ron rubbed his wrist where her grip had left red marks. 

"I'm sorry Ron, it's just I'm so nervous, what if he says he doesn't like me? .. What if he guesses?" 

They neared the Great Hall. Hermione took a deep breath, and stepped in after Ron. "..What if..what if .."

Hermione trailed off. And Ron could suddenly see why. The Gryffindor table was not entirely occupied by Gryffindors now. A Ravenclaw girl with short black hair and large dark eyes was at Harry's side. 

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "What's _she_ doing there?" she said in a stricken undertone to Ron. 

"I don't know.." Ron said, shaking his head. "Come on, let's go. He's going to think you're jealous if we don't go up there."

He had to half-drag Hermione up to the Gryffindor table. Harry beamed at them as they came up towards the end of the table, where he and Cho were sitting awfully close together. 

"Ron! Hermione! There you guys are! You missed the greatest thing -- Cho asked me out!" he said in an undertone, his face blushing scarlet. "She and I are going to Hogsmeade together - this weekend for the Halloween trip!"

Hermione gave a queer kind of half-sob, and bolted away from Ron's side. She dashed away up towards Gryffindor Tower, leaving Harry, Cho and Ron staring after her. 

"Hermione?" Harry half-stood as she left, calling after her. But Cho pulled him down. "Sit next to me," she said in a sweet voice.

Harry sat down. "Ron -- do you know what's up with Hermione?"

"I guess she's having a hard week," Ron said, only half-lying. "She and I were talking just before we came .."

"Oh, never mind about Hermione," Cho said brightly. "Let's talk about Quidditch, Harry! Who are you going to have as Chasers this year, since Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson have left?"

Harry brightened and turned to her. "Oh, I was considering that fifth year, Gregory. You know I saw him in flying lessons the other day, he's pretty good . ."

Ron sat down on the other side of Harry, silent as he and Cho talked nonstop Quidditch throughout the whole dinner. He ate his dinner in quiet, listening with half an ear to the two lovebirds beside him and the other half worrying about Hermione. 

"Ron, aren't you going to try out for Chaser this year?" Cho sang. It was a while before Ron realized she was talking to him. 

"What for?"

"To get on the team, of course!" she said, looking surprised. "Like your brothers! They were superb Beaters, you know. I played against them. Of course I suppose they were probably the Quidditch talent of the family. I know lots of families like that, where all the good stuff is used up on the older kids so the younger ones always do badly." 

Ron sputtered, unable to come up with a response.

"It's too bad Fred and George didn't try out for England!" Cho trilled, before he could formulate a civil response to her earlier taunt. "But of course they had to go earn money, I see. Keep up the family and such."

Ron stared, shocked that anyone could be so blatantly horrible. His spoon dropped into his soup bowl with a clatter. Stew sprayed up and splashed Cho's robes.

"Oh, no! Ron, you clumsy oaf! Look what you did!" Harry sprang up, seized a napkin, and began to rub the brown spots on the corner of Cho's shirt without thinking. She looked down at him with surprise, and when he realized what he was doing, he blushed down to his hairline.

"Cho, I'm -- I'm sorry -" he sputtered, trying to back away.

Cho seized his shoulders, leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. A chorus of "Ooh's" went around the Gryffindor table, except for Ron, whose eyes were blazing with fury. 

"Good night, Haarrrrr-eee!" Cho sang as they finished dessert. Ron was glad it was over; he was hating Cho more and more as she and Harry got deeper and deeper into staring into each other's eyes over chocolate pudding and ice cream. By the end of the meal, he was sick and tired of the two. 

"Bye, Cho!" Harry waved furiously to her as she departed with her Ravenclaw friends. 

Harry would not stop talking about her as he and Ron climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"Cho is so cool! She's really pretty, isn't she? And so talented! I don't know what I'm going to do next time we have a Quidditch match against each other, do you? She gets top grades too, just like -"

"Just like Hermione!" Ron shouted. 

"What?" Harry stopped and stared at Ron as the rest of the Gryffindors climbed around them. 

"I said, _just like Hermione! _What, have you forgotten her already?"

"Ron, what are you talking about?"

"It's Cho!" Ron yelled, losing his patience. "Didn't you listen to her? Didn't you listen to her insulting me? She practically _said_ that my family was poor and that Fred and George have to earn money for us! _How can you like her?! _Not to _mention_ Hermione!"

Ron stomped away from Harry, leaving him standing alone and surprised in the middle of the stairway. 

Too late, Ron remembered that he had promised not to say anything about Hermione to Harry. 

*

_A/N: The rest coming soon! I think it might be fairly long. *hangs her head* Sorry! Please review! (No suggestions about who will be together, please. That I already have my mind made up about. You'll just have to wait and see, although those who know me well enough know what it'll be! ;) Cya! _


	2. Part 2

_A/N: Thank you all who reviewed my story last time. It really means a lot to me! Now, read!_

*

Hermione lay sobbing her misery to her pillow. Why, oh why, did she have to fall in love with Harry? Why was she cursed with a love that made her burn whenever she looked at him, made her long to put her arms around him? What had she done to deserve such a love that made her miserable to see him with anyone else? 

_Harry,_ she sobbed, _oh, Harry. Can't you see? Can't you see how much I love you? _

* 

  
  


"How is she?" Ron asked, peering into the darkness of Hermione's half-open door. 

"She's been crying ever since she left during dinner," Lavender said, watching him as he turned from Hermione's door. "She won't tell any of us why." She followed him down the stairs to the common room, and into a corner, where a few empty chairs and a lamp sat on a table. When he turned to look at her, she looked straight into his bright brown eyes. "You know, don't you? Why she's so upset?"

Ron nodded. Then he shook his head. "I said I wouldn't tell," he said, sitting down on one of the chairs. 

"Oh, I'm not stupid," Lavender said. "I know it's Harry. But I didn't know it went that deep." 

Ron gaped at her.

"I think she's in love with him," he said at last, very softly. 

Lavender nodded. "That would explain it."

Ron ran his hands anguishedly through his hair. "She told me this afternoon," he explained, very quietly so that no one else would hear. "I was going to ask Harry how he felt about her, so she would know whether to ask him out, but when we came in Cho was .." he trailed off. "Why is Harry so stupid sometimes?" he said furiously. "I mean, you've noticed! I've noticed! I bet we could ask everyone in here, and they'd all say they noticed how much Hermione likes Harry! It's like he's _blind!"_

Lavender stared at Ron for a long time. "That's .. that's .. that's .. so _thoughtful!_ Oh, Ron!" And she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the lips. 

"Huh?" Ron said, as soon as they'd finished kissing. "What was that for? I mean, I'm not _protesting_ or anything .. but what made you do that?"

"Oh, Ron!" Lavender said, loudly enough for almost everyone in the common room to hear, "I'm sorry I said you were insensitive! That's so nice of you to care about Hermione so much!" She hugged him tight and Ron, bewildered but happy, wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"That's all right," he said. 

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you too," he told her, squeezing her once more. Oh, it felt good to have her in his arms .. he hadn't realized he'd missed her so much..

Suddenly, scaring them nearly out of their skins, the whole common room burst into applause. Someone wolf-whistled. Everyone was clapping at them. 

Ron's ears turned red. Suddenly, he jumped up, put his arms around Lavender, lifted her into the air, twirled her around, and set her down, kissing her. The common room burst into applause once more, laughing and whistling. Lavender burst out into giggles. "Oh, Ron," she said. Ron grinned down at her and set her carefully down. 

*

  
  


Harry stood at the bottom of the stairs for a long time, staring up at the place where Ron had disappeared. When he finally moved, it was not to continue up towards Gryffindor Tower, but downstairs to the Great Hall. He found himself wandering the halls, finally entering the main entrance. Though it was definitely taking a chance, he slipped out the front doors and wandered out towards Hagrid's pumpkin patch. 

The pumpkins were enormous, as usual. They were like giant coaches glinting in the moonlight, like Cinderella's story. He found a bench, absentmindedly brushed the Stinging Chokevines off it, and sat down. 

He thought of the anger on Ron's face when his best friend had yelled at him there on the stairs. He thought of Cho's pretty face, laughing at his poor jokes and sitting flirtingly close to him all through dinner. Then he remembered Hermione's face just before she had run off. 

_For once, can't all my friends agree?_

He buried his face in his hands. Ron's friendship was not worth giving up .. was it? He remembered how miserable he had been in his fourth year during his fight with Ron over the Triwizard Cup. Was Cho as a girlfriend worth Ron?

A twig snapped behind him. He jumped. 

A silvery voice came out of the shadows. "Harry?"

"Cho, is that you?" Harry said, not believing his ears. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

"Let's make a deal, shall we?" she said, stepping out of the shadows behind him and smiling at him. Harry nearly fell over at the smile. She was _so_ pretty, with those big dark eyes .. and she was wearing only a light blue nightgown. He dragged his eyes away in time to catch her sentence: "..You don't ask me why I'm here, and I won't ask you."

"Fair enough," he agreed, tripping over his words as she sat beside him, wrapping her arms around her chest. "I'm so cold," she said, and her voice was suggestive. "It was stupid of me, not to bring a jacket.."

"Here," Harry said awkwardly, opening his arms and letting her get closer. Cho snuggled beside him. It didn't feel quite right, somehow, though; Harry got a vague sense that something was wrong .. 

"Ron mad at you?" 

"Yes!" he said, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Oh.." she whispered, and Harry had to draw closer to hear her words, which he thought was her intent: "I think he's jealous of you and me."

"What?" Harry was startled out of his vaguely suspicious thoughts. "Why?"

"Oh, you know he and Lavender just broke up... and he doesn't want us to be together, I think .. he wants you to be his friend only."

"You really think so?" Harry asked, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them. It really was rather chilly, and Cho was right. It had been stupid of him not to bring a jacket. 

"Uh - huh .." she said, drawing closer to him. "Are you cold?" she asked. 

"No, I'm fine," Harry said, but really he wasn't. It had been a very tiring Quidditch practice, and Cho was starting to feel like a dead weight on his side. 

"Let me warm you up," she said softly, and leaning closer to him she reached up and kissed his cheek. "Better?" she asked with a smile.

Harry felt his face beginning to burn with embarrassment. "Better," he managed, with a wry smile. "Listen, Cho, I think we'd better go. My Gryffindor friends are going to worry about me. Not to mention your friends." 

"Oh, all right." There was definitely disappointment in her voice, Harry thought with a mixture of emotions. They were silent until they reached the Great Hall, and parted ways. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow in Hogsmeade, then? 5 o'clock at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Bye, Cho."

"Bye, Harreeeee!" she sang softly as she padded away towards Ravenclaw. "See you tomorrow!"

*

  
  


The next day, Halloween, was a Saturday, fortunately. The students prepared excitedly for the Hogsmeade Halloween trip. Ron avoided Harry's eyes when they passed each other on the way to breakfast, and he sat with Lavender at the opposite end of the table from Harry. Harry sat down, feeling a little lonely without either of his friends - for Hermione had not come down at all. 

When they arrived in Hogsmeade, the village was overflowing with Halloween decorations and merchandise. Bats were swooping in and out of the stores, carved pumpkins changed expression as people went by, and there was a black-cat-show going on in Herbin's Magical Pets. Best of all, Honeydukes' was full of glowing chocolate pumpkins that really flickered and tiny marzipan bats that fluttered their wings. And even the ancient goblin-rebellion museum featured a dusty row of gallows and a sale on witch-burning books. 

Harry saw Cho in Honeydukes, and waved at her. Together they bought packs of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans - Halloween Special Flavors, which included pumpkin seeds, apple pie, and burning leaves; Cho bought a Licorice Hanging-Rope, and Harry got a box of Quiksand Caramel - "Really Get Stuck In It!". It was even stickier than Hagrid's treacle candy and Harry chewed with difficulty as he and Cho headed for the Hogsmeade lake - which Cho insisted they visit. 

When they got there, they stood and looked at the lake for a while - Cho thinking of Cedric, and Harry remembering darkly his second Triwizard Task, wherein he had spent two hours underwater. 

"Why don't we follow that trail a while?" Cho said after a while, pointing towards a path leading into the forest. 

"I don't know," Harry said, shading his eyes and following her finger. "We might not have enough time to get back for the Hogwarts Express to bring us back to the castle."

"Then we'll walk there, won't we?" Cho said, drawing close to him. "I'm sure you could protect me."

Harry smiled, but fidgeted a little. He didn't quite like the way she was hanging on him. 

"All right," he said at last. "Let's go."

The trail curved upwards for a long time, but Cho gave him no opportunity to suggest stopping and starting back down. She talked nearly nonstop about Quidditch and anything else that came into her head. Harry was beginning to get tired, and hungry. The Quiksand Caramel seemed a long time ago. The sun was dipping quickly over the horizon, and the stars were visible. 

"Think we ought to go back now, Cho?" he said at last, finding a gap as she stopped to breathe. 

"Aw, let's go just a little bit further!" she said. Her mind was whirling furiously. The clearing where the brown-haired friend of Cedric's had told her to bring him was a few meters away. Was he here? She hoped so. Her voice was beginning to give out. 

Then she caught the signal they had agreed on. A glint of something silver through the trees. She stopped talking abruptly, and Harry looked at her. "What's up? You've been kind of weird lately, Cho. I mean, you drag me all the way up here, one minute you're talking a blue streak and then the next -"

  
  


Hermione sniffed into her pillow, then sat up abruptly. She had just felt a jolt of something - fear? surprise? - in her stomach. Something was wrong. She looked around her bedchamber. Nothing was wrong. Had she imagined it? ... 

..or was it something else? 

Could it be Harry?

  
  


Harry never finished his sentence. He caught something - a movement out of the corner of his eye - and drew his wand out of his robes. "Cho!" he hissed. "Cho! I think there's something behind us!"

Cho turned slowly around. Harry did the same. Five black-hooded men were standing there in a circle around them. They were all staring at them. No, Harry though, not at _them_ - at _him_. They were entirely ignoring Cho. A sudden, horrible thought flashed through his head. _Oh, no.._

"Good work," said one of the shorter men, in a horribly familiar voice. Harry cringed, the very sound of the voice swirling unwanted memories back into his head. _Wormtail._

He backed up against Cho. "Leave her alone!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Take me, leave her alone!"

One of the men came at him. Harry whipped his wand up. "_Expelliarmus!_" he shouted with all his might; the man was blasted backward into a tree, where he lay still. 

"Get his wand away," Wormtail said, gesturing. Harry held his wand up defensively. "Leave me alone .." he said warily. "I've had lessons .. I know how to disarm you!"

And then his wand was plucked out of his hand from behind. He whirled. Cho was there, holding his wand away, her face twisted with hatred. 

"_Cho? _What are you doing?" he whispered hoarsely. 

Something smashed him hard on the back of the head, and he tried to twist around. But someone else had him by the arms. He twisted wildly, panic overflowing. The Death Eater hit him again, hard. He slumped to the ground, barely hanging onto consciousness. He could only stare at Cho, as her face appeared upside-down over his.

"You killed him," she whispered, staring into his eyes with hate-filled blue ones. He knew who she was talking about and he felt sick to his stomach. "No," he tried to whisper, "no, I couldn't do anything .. it was Voldemort .."

And pain surged through him. He could no longer fight down the blackness, and he slumped into darkness. 

*

  
  


_A/N: Hahahaha! I'm sorry, I really am. I truly do hate cliffhangers. I just love them when they're mine! ;) Review, it'll make the next part come faster if I know someone's waiting! Cya! _


	3. Part 3

_A/N: The problem with romance is that with any given pair (h/h, r/h, g/h) you're only going to please about a third of the readers. I ask you to bear with me now, though. The story is not done. Things may change. Read!_

  
  
  
  


"So you're going to take him to Azkaban now?" asked Cho. In spite of all her will, tears began to slide down her face. "

"No. Our master wants to see him." The hooded figure knelt in front of the unconscious Harry and picked him up. When he straightened, his hood fell back. Cho recognized him. It was the brown-haired boy from the lake .. or was it? He looked older now ... most of the hair was gone from his head and his face was deeply lined. One of his hands was gone; in its place was a ghostly silver one. 

"What? What does your master want? Is he going to kill him?"

"Eventually." The Death Eater carrying Harry's limp body turned from Cho and began to walk away. 

Cho ran after him. "Hey, wait, no! Our deal wasn't to kill him, only to do justice! Cedric .. Cedric wouldn't want him killed."

"Miss, I'm right sorry to tell you this." The black-hooded figure took a hand from Harry's body to lift the sleeve of his left arm. Cho recoiled. On the figure's skin was a pulsing, black tattoo of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. 

Cho's blood ran cold.

"That's right," Wormtail said. "I'm sorry, but _I'm_ the one who did kill Cedric. So I can't really avenge him. Sorry." 

Cho stood, frozen and speechless. The other Death Eaters had gathered up the body of the first man whom Harry had Disarmed, and were gesturing for Wormtail to come. 

Cho took a step backwards, her heart icy. The image of Harry's body, limp, in the arms of one of the Death Eaters, burned into her mind. 

What have I done?_ What have I done?_

The Death Eaters whispered words to themselves, and Disapparated with a pop! 

"No!" Cho screamed, too late. She ran forward, tripping over the hem over her dress, towards the spot where Harry had disappeared. "No! Harry!" she screamed again. But nothing was there. Nothing was left. Only his wand, in her hand. 

Cho screamed again. She took off and began to run, all the way down the trailway, tripping over rocks and tearing her skirt on branches. Somehow she knew she had to get to someone. Fast. Harry needed help, more than she could give him.

An hour later Cho stumbled into Hogwarts, her dress torn and her arms scratched. Ignoring the concerned calls of her friends, she ran into the Great Hall. Hermione was sitting there, alone, as Cho had _known_ she would be. 

"Hermione!" she gasped, tripping over towards the Gryffindor table in her ruined dress. "Hermione!"

"Cho?" Hermione said in surprise. "What do you need?"

Cho stopped and stared at the brown-haired Muggleborn witch, who was sitting there and talking to her quite politely. Cho had stolen Harry from right under Hermione's nose - it was quite apparent to everyone, except perhaps the two involved, that Hermione was in love with him - and here she was, speaking civilly. Cho knew what _she_ would have done in the opposite situation. SLAP! 

"Hermione - it's Harry!" Cho gasped, her eyes beginning to water. "I've killed him, I've - I've failed him!" She collapsed onto the table. 

Hermione sprang to her feet. "Cho - where's Harry?" she said, with urgency in her voice. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry Hermione," Cho said, staring up at her in some kind of weird amazement. "I'm so sorry -"

"Never mind about that!" Hermione snapped. "Where -- is -- Harry?"

"I don't know!" Cho panted. "I betrayed him - oh Hermione, I let him get kidnapped - Voldemort has got him!"

Hermione stared at Cho, fear paralyzed in her brown eyes. 

"They took him - they Apparated - he was unconscious - I've killed him!" Cho wailed. "All because of this stupid thing about Cedric!"

*

  
  


Harry woke slowly and painfully. His head hurt, and blood had run down the side of his face and dried.

He was lying sprawled on the floor of a cell. The walls were made of glowing green bars, forming a box barely tall enough for him to stand. Outside the cell, it was dark, and Harry couldn't see anything. 

He sat up slowly and carefully, trying not to move his head much. For some reason, he still had his glasses. He would have thought Voldemort wouldn't have bothered to save his glasses ... 

_"Hello, Harry Potter."_

Harry froze, his heart sliding into his stomach. 

"Yes, it's me." Two red eyes suddenly glowed out of the darkness from around his cell. "I haven't seen _you_ in a while." He laughed dryly at his own joke. 

Harry gritted and shook his head, trying to make the pain black him out again. It didn't work. 

"How are you feeling tonight, Harry? If it makes you feel better I am mad at my Death Eaters too. They weren't supposed to harm you. But no matter, your injuries are not life-threatening. You can still do what I need you to do."

"And what's that?" Harry bit out, hatred coursing through him. He felt for his wand. It wasn't there .. what had they done with it after Cho took it? .. "Whatever it is I won't do it. You know I won't. And the Imperius Curse doesn't work on me."

Voldemort's voice floated out of the pitch darkness, and Harry shivered. 

"Ah, but this I am sure you'll _want_ to do."

Harry was silent, his mind racing. What did Voldemort have in mind? 

There was an ominous pause. 

Then Voldemort chucked, and his body suddenly materialized inside the bars of Harry's cell. He was dressed in black, taller than ever, and his catlike red eyes gleamed out out of a white face. Those white spider-hands Harry remembered so well were holding something on the end of a long chain. Harry squinted. A tiny hourglass. A Time-Turner.

"We're going back in time, Harry my boy. Fifteen years ago, in fact. To pay a visit to some of my old friends .."

*

Hermione stared open-mouthed as Cho spilled the entire story, from meeting the brown-haired boy at the lake to the Death Eater's attack on Harry. ".. And he's gone, the man said he was going to kill him, and it's all my fault!" she finished with a sob.

Hermione was frozen for a moment. The impulse to lunge out and choke Cho was strong, but as much as she wanted to, it wouldn't help Harry. 

"We need to tell Dumbledore," she said in a low voice. 

Cho nodded, grateful to Hermione, feeling gladness with a rush that Hermione had automatically shifted the burden of responsibility to her own shoulders. 

"Come on," Hermione said, and she helped Cho up and together they started for Dumbledore's office. 

"Hermione - what's going on?" Ron suddenly appeared at her side. "Cho just ran right through the Great Hall like there was a demon after her - is everything all right?" 

"Here!" Hermione said, transferring Cho's hands to Ron's shoulders. "Take her -- she'll explain -- I've got to get to Dumbledore!" 

"Hermione, wait!" she heard Ron yell after her as she tore out of the room and dashed up the corridors to Dumbledore's office. 

She came to a stop, panting, in front of the gargoyle that Harry had told them about that led to Dumbledore's office. There was a password - what had Harry said it was? Some kind of candy? -- "Cockroach Clusters!" she yelled at the gargoyle. It sprang to life and moved aside. 

Suddenly, the door opened before her. She jumped aside. 

Dumbledore himself stood before her, an urgent look on his face. "It's Harry."

"How did you know?" she whispered, suddenly feeling faint. 

"Come on," Dumbledore said briskly, and he took her arm and turned into his office. An elevator led upwards. Hermione followed the Headmaster onto it, her panic subsiding once she knew that Dumbledore was helping. 

His office was full of witches and wizard portraits, all of whom were looking extremely grave. Dumbledore swept over to his desk and pulled out his wand. Tapping it three times on one of the cabinet doors, he reached in and pulled out a small bowl with runes carved into the side. 

"Hermione," he said gravely, "I think it's time you needed the whole story."

"What whole story?"

Dumbledore bent low over the bowl, whispered something into it, and a silvery substance appeared in it quite suddenly. It was something fluid and bright like molten silver, and caught Hermione's attention like a spider spinning a web. 

The headmaster placed his wand to his head, pulled out a silvery thread of the same color of his hair, and added it to the bowl. And another, and another. 

"What is it?" Hermione whispered.

"A Pensieve," Dumbledore said, then held his fingers to his lips. "Watch, Hermione."

He bent low and whispered another spell to the Pensieve, and then, quite suddenly, a silvery shape rose out of the bowl and twisted, forming itself into human shape. 

Hermione gasped. The girl with long hair and large, fluid eyes looked exactly like the pictures Harry had once shown her of his mother. 

Lily Potter beckoned, and Hermione leaned closer. The girl in the bowl reached out with a wispy silver wand and pulled Hermione headfirst into the depths of the bowl. 

  
  


_A/N: Please, please please please review! I live on reviews; they make me write the next part faster. ;) Cya!_


	4. Part 4

_A/N: Since everyone reviewed, I was so happy I decided to post the next one early!! Thank you guys!! _

_Some of you have been asking: What does the title have to do with the story? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Oh yeah, and to Jean, who reviewed my last: I'm glad to know you think it's improving. ;) ALSO, IMPORTANT: If you are offended by the word "damn," used in conjuction with Voldemort, do not read. But the rest of you, Read!_ *warning: sad part*

  
  


Hermione was pitched headfirst. She had no time to scream; in a second, she was sitting in Dumbledore's office again, only this time two real live people sat across from Dumbledore's desk and Dumbledore himself was young with auburn hair. 

One of the people across from Dumbledore was Lily Potter. The other seemed to be almost a perfect replica of Harry. James Potter. They were holding hands.

"Professor," James said. He was young, and his face was full of brightness. Hermione decided she must be in the past, perhaps a memory of Dumbledore's. "We've decided to do it. We're getting married."

The young Dumbledore nodded slowly. He got up, and said pensively, "Lily, James, I know I have mentioned things in the past, but we must go over this now. Before you decide, hear my warning.You have both taken Divination?"

James nodded. Lily grimaced. "Yes. Professor Trelawney. I remember her. It was 'cause of her that I quit. She was driving me nuts, wouldn't stop predicting my doom."

Dumbledore half-grinned beneath his beard. "Yes, I know she isn't exactly the best choice for the job. The thing is, that Sybil Trelawney really _is_ a Seer, yet she doesn't know it."

Lily and James exchanged confused looks.

"Several years ago, before she began as a teacher, I happened to have a brief encounter with Lord Voldemort. He mistakenly told me that he could never be defeated. I hit him with a Truth Spell. And he told me that the one who would predict his doom would be Sybil Trelawney. So, naturally, when Lord Voldemort slipped through Ministry custody again, I hired the young lady.

"She did eventually make her prediction, although I do not believe she even knows she made it. When Sybil Trelawney makes a real insight, she is in a state of half-consciousness, and I wrote the words she said in her trance and have interpreted them."

He pulled a piece of paper from a desk drawer. "I did not want to show you this," he said sadly, "but when it was clear that you two were meant for each other, I have no choice but to tell you now. 

"I am afraid," he said, "that as you know, you two are the most powerful witch and wizard in the school, perhaps even in all of the world. Excepting perhaps Lord Voldemort. Are you planning on children?"

Lily nodded eagerly. Her hand tightened on James', and he gave her an excited grin. 

"I was afraid so. I am afraid that in the case you two have a child, both your powers will be transferred to him and he will probably the most powerful wizard in the world, perhaps in history."

"But that's great!" James said, hugging Lily. "Just think - our own son!"

"Son?" Lily said, punching James playfully in the arm. "What makes you think it's going to be a son? Why not a daughter?"

"But in the case that you do have this powerful child," Dumbledore interrupted, "he will be Voldemort's first target .. and you, as his parents, will be standing in the way." 

There was an uncomfortable silence. James and Lily looked at each other. Then, as if in cue, they both leaned forward. 

"We're going to do it, Professor." 

"We have to do everything we can against Voldemort."

Dumbledore paused. Then, slowly, he got up, came around his desk, and gazed down at the two seventh years, his eyes sorrowful. 

"I am glad," he said softly.

Hermione felt a sinking feeling, and it wasn't just because the scene was changing again, into a dark corner of a living room. Harry .. they were talking about Harry. Marked from even before birth to be persecuted by the Dark Forces .. Hermione felt tears come to her eyes, and then hurriedly wiped them clear so she could see the next scene. 

Dumbledore's voice suddenly spoke into Hermione's ear, and she jumped. 

"This scene is not my memory. It is one that Harry allowed me in his fifth year to take from his mind. He has no conscious memory of this, and so far you and I are the only ones to witness it."

Hermione tensed, and looked around. There was a peaceful scene. In front of a fireplace, a young man and a young woman with red hair sat together. The woman was holding a baby. Hermione glided over and peeked as a spirit over the young woman's shoulder, and looked into the bright green eyes of Harry as a baby. 

Hermione melted, seeing him so young and cute. He was sleeping peacefully, and there was no scar on his forehead, and she suddenly had a horrible premonition of what this memory was going to be about .. 

There was a sudden flash of light outside. James Potter leapt to his feet, and Lily got up quickly, holding Harry close. 

Hermione's stomach dropped into her feet. Oh, no..

"Lily!" James yelled, pulling out his wand. "It's him! I'll hold him off! Take Harry and go!"

"No, James!" Lily said, starting to cry. Harry began to wail. 

"GO!" James yelled, and he turned and gave them both a shove towards the staircase. "I love you, Lily!" 

Lily's tears streamed down her face as she turned and stumbled up the staircase, holding the crying baby close to her. "I love you, James!" she screamed. 

Hermione's eyes prickled, and she felt tears welling up. So peaceful a scene, and now .. 

The door burst open. Thunder crackled outside and outlined a tall, slender figure in the doorway, rain whipping his slick black cape around him. Hermione's blood went cold. Voldemort .. 

A low, cold laugh sounded from the doorway. 

James raised his chin and faced Voldemort resolutely. His hand shot up and he brought the wand up to face the figure in the doorway. _"Expelliarmus!"_ he cried. 

Voldemort raised a black-gloved hand to ward off the bright red spell. Eerily, it bounced off his hand and disintegrated in a shower of sparks. 

"You'll have to do better than that." 

The voice was high, icy with contempt - Hermione could tell the horrible mocking tone in his words. 

_"Avada Kedavra!" _

James leapt to the side and dodged the spell. It blasted the whole far section of the wall into smoldering rubble. 

Voldemort growled and raised his wand again. This time Hermione didn't recognize the incantation he shouted - but a purple bolt shot out of his wand and James wasn't fast enough to dodge it. He yelped in pain as the bolt struck him on the shoulder and stumbled sideways into the couch.

Hermione could not watch any longer. She ran from the room, stumbled up the stairs, to another refuge that would soon no longer be safe - to Harry's room. 

She couldn't help but start to cry again as she looked at the walls, the lovingly-installed blue and white wallpaper, the little baby toys, the blankets piled so neatly against a wall. Oh - it wasn't fair! How could Lily and James spend so much time and love on a place that would soon exist only in Harry's distant memories? 

"Damn Voldemort!" she screamed, balling her fists. No one heard her. 

Lily was crouched behind Harry's crib, crying and holding Harry. No, she was singing softly to him, her tears slipping off her cheeks and splashing on his face. What was that song? Hermione could not remember. It seemed familiar, though. She wished with all her might that she could undo this night, undo the horrors of the events soon to come, undo what Harry had to face alone in the years to come. 

She knew, in that moment, that it was a good thing Harry hadn't seen this memory, culled from his mind, in the Pensieve. Even herself, a notably docile person, was seething to search out Pettigrew -- it was his fault, all of this! -- and beat him to a pulp for ever betraying Lily and James. 

From downstairs, there was a scream and then silence. Lily shook uncontrollably, holding Harry tighter than ever, and waited. Oh, it was horrible, that moment of waiting, not knowing .. 

And then slow, heavy, dreadful footsteps._ Here._ Voldemort was coming _here_. He was coming here, after Lily, after Harry, with James' blood already on his soul. 

Lily stopped crying. She wiped her face and took a deep breath. Hermione admired her more than anyone else in the world at that moment. She knew what had to be done, and she was going to do it. 

The door swung open. Voldemort's figure stood there, a silhouette. He cast his terrible red gaze back and forth, sweeping the room. Hermione could almost feel Lily's heartbeat. 

"Come out, girl," said Voldemort, in his bone-chilling voice. 

Suddenly, Lily sprang up. She stood facing the dark wizard, her lip trembling with emotion. 

"I don't care! You're never - _never_ - going to get Harry. And I don't care if you kill me because .. because .. then I'll be with James!" 

Voldemort towered over her. 

"Stand aside. I don't have to kill you. Let me get to Harry, and I'll let you live."

"I WON'T!" she screamed. 

And Voldemort killed her. 

Hermione went limp. Oh, no, oh, no, Harry, Lily, James -- 

The echoes of his scream of "Avada Kedavra!" still echoed in the silenced room. Lily lay crumpled on the floor behind the crib, her body shielding Harry even in death. 

In three quick strides Voldemort crossed the room and pulled Lily's body away from Harry's crib. He lifted his wand. 

Hermione screwed her eyes shut. 

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort whispered. 

Green light flashed. And Hermione was whirling again, whirling through time to another scene. 

  
  


_A/N: Sad!! I almost cried when I wrote this. Poor Lily! Poor James! *sniff* Should I continue? *people scream in the background* OK, then, if you wand me to continue, be a responsible reader and review! *~Crystal Music~*_


	5. Part 5

_A/N: This part is extremely long. Well, it kind of had to be done. I don't like this part as much as the others, but be uplifted! It will get better. Trust me. Read! ~_

She landed facefirst in the dirt, her tears wet on her cheeks. "Oh, Lily!" she sobbed. "James! It's not fair!" 

"I'm sorry, Hermione," came Dumbledore's voice, very faintly, in her ear. "But that's not the last of it, I'm afraid. You don't want to miss this last memory. It's very important."

Hermione got up shakily, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She pushed herself up to a standing position and looked around.

It was a cemetery, small and old, and the moon shone in the sky. It was night again. A huge, sagging old house moldered far away on a hill. With a gasp, she realized the object she had used to lever herself up was a headstone. She let go of it with a jolt. 

And suddenly, she heard quiet voices nearby. 

She turned quickly and found herself face to face with a fourteen-year-old Harry in torn robes.. and Cedric Diggory. _Oh, no._ She felt her knees go weak. 

"..Wands out, d'you reckon?" 

Cedric Diggory .. alive. Hermione's stomach gave a funny jolt.

"Yeah," came Harry's voice, and they both pulled out their wands. 

Hermione knew what she was about to see. It was what had happened after the Portkey had transported them both .. away, on the night of the third Triwizard Tournament task. Harry had never told her and Ron exactly what had happened that night, where he'd gone, how he'd come back alive .. or how Cedric had died. 

"Someone's coming," the younger Harry said. 

Hermione squinted. Someone was coming. Someone in dark robes, carrying a bundle like a baby. 

Who _is_ that?

Without warning, Harry let out a yell and collapsed to the ground, his hands over his scar. _What? -_

"Kill the spare," said a high, cold .. familiar voice. 

"Avada Kedavra!" 

Green light flashed, and Cedric was suddenly lying on the ground.

Dead. 

Just like that. 

Hermione stared in shock at Cedric's motionless body for a long time. How could that happen? He was dead .. _dead! _

There was a scuffle, and Hermione suddenly came back to life. The figure had reached Harry, and was dragging the fourteen-year-old towards the center of the graveyard. Hermione followed, dread rising in her throat. 

Harry was obviously too stunned to do anything as the figure slammed him against a tombstone and began to tie him tightly to it. As the robed man tightened the cords, the wandlight fell on his face beneath the black hood -- and Hermione recognized him. 

"You!" she said in surprise, in unison with Harry. 

Wormtail!

Wormtail finished tying the cords and went off somewhere into the darkness. "Gah!" she gasped as a huge, green snake appeared out of the night and began to circle Harry and the tombstone. 

Wormtail reappeared, dragging the biggest cauldron she had ever seen. It was full of a potion that Hermione didn't recognize. He set the cauldron down in front of the tombstone that Harry was tied to and lit a fire beneath it. 

"It is ready, Master."

The cold voice came now from the bundle of robes that Wormtail had carried earlier. _"Now.."_

Wormtail crossed to the bundle and picked it up again. Hermione saw the - creature - and let out a gasp of horror. 

_Is that what's left of Voldemort?_

In a momemt Wormtail had dropped the bundle into the cauldron. Now he was taking out his wand, pointing it to the ground of the headstone that Harry was tied to and saying something. 

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

The dust at Harry's feet crackled; a thin sliver of dust wafted into the potion. It turned blindingly bright blue. 

_What is he doing? It's certainly not a potion I've ever heard of._

"F-flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will r-revive your m-master." 

Wormtail was holding a knife to his wrist. Hermione watched in disbelief - how could you do that to yourself? - as his hand dropped into the potion, turning it sparking blood red. 

Now he was turning towards Harry - _oh, no, Harry_ - _what is he doing?_ The dagger he had used to cut off his own hand was pointing at Harry -- Hermione squeezed her eyes shut --_ no, he's only taking a bit of Harry's blood. _

This turned the potion bright sparklingly white, and suddenly thick clouds of smoke began to billow from the cauldron. Hermione cowered. _What's going on? _

From the steam, a figure appeared, standing tall but bone-thin, with a face truly of nightmares .. 

Hermione dropped to her knees next to Harry's tombstone. _Voldemort .. Voldemort has his body back.. _

Of course, she knew it was so, had heard the rumors and seen the bodies that accompanied the Dark Lord's return, but to see it so vividly brought a fresh bone-chilling thrill through her. 

And some part of that new body is made from Harry's blood, she thought dazedly. Does that mean they can't kill each other now? 

Voldemort bent and pulled out one of Wormtail's arms. Hermione glided closer, trying to see what he was doing. She saw, on Wormtail's forearm, an ugly red tattoo -- the Dark Mark. Voldemort pressed his finger to it, and it turned jet-black. Wormtail howled. 

The Dark Lord straightened and gazed at the stars. He whispered something, more to himself than Harry or Wormtail: "How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it? And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?" 

He began to pace back and forth across the grave of his dead father. Hermione stayed out of his way, although she knew she was only a spirit here and he couldn't reach her, and scooted behind Harry's tombstone. After a minute he stopped and looked straight at her - for a moment she thought he could see her - but no, he was talking now to Harry. 

"You stand, Harry Potter, on the remains of my late father. A Muggle and a fool .. very much like your dear mother.." 

Hermione's blood boiled. Harry gritted his teeth. 

"But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child .. and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death .. You see that house on the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch that lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him who she was .. he didn't like magic, my father .. He left and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born, Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage .. But I vowed to find him .. I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name .. Tom Riddle .."

Hermione had almost began to feel sorry for the man. Sick, twisted, yes, but she could see where he was coming from .. abandoned and orphaned .. much like Harry, now that she thought of it. But then she remembered Lily screaming to James as she fled with Harry .. "_I love you, James.."_

"Listen to me, reliving family history," Voldemort continued, breaking into Hermione's thoughts. "I am growing quite sentimental." _(Hah_, Hermione thought.) "But look, Harry! My true family returns .."

Hermione jumped. From all around them, wizards were Apparating. The cemetery was suddenly full of them -- around every headstone, nearby the yew tree, men in black robes were hurrying forward to close around her, Harry, and Voldemort in a not-quite-complete circle. Hermione backed up against the tombstone, looking warily around. 

Then, one by one, they all fell forward and began to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes. 

"_Master .. master .._" they whispered brokenly. Hermione was disgusted. Fools, she thought. 

"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort in his cold voice when they had all finished groveling. "Thirteen years .. thirteen years since we last met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday .. We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?"

He threw back his head and sniffed the air with those horrible nostrils. For a terrible moment Hermione thought he was going to smell her out.. 

"I smell guilt," he said. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air. I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact - such prompt appearance! - and I ask myself .. why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"

Silence filled the air. Voldemort laughed dryly. "And I answer myself," he continued, "they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment .. And I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And then I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort .. perhaps they now pay allegiance to another .. perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore? It is a disappointment to me .. I confess myself disappointed .." 

One of the Death Eaters stumbled forward. He cried, "Master! Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"

_"Crucio!"_

Hermione gasped and covered her eyes as the Death Eater writhed on the ground in pain. It was the first time she had seen the Cruciatus Curse performed on a real human .. she could feel Harry shaking and felt her heart go out to him .. 

Voldemort lowered his wand, and spoke in a low, cold voice, "Get up, Avery. Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years .. I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?"

Wormtail was still sobbing over his hand.

"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Master .. please, Master, please .." Wormtail moaned. 

"Yet you helped return me to my body," Voldemort said. "Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me .. and Voldemort rewards his helpers .."

He raised his wand and swung it. Something like molten silver hung in the air, then formed itself into a human hand, which attached itself to Wormtail's wrist. 

Wormtail stopped sobbing. He lifted the new hand and flexed its fingers. "My Lord," he whispered, lifting a twig and crushing it into dust, "Master .. it is beautiful .. thank you .. thank you.." He scrambled forward and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes. 

"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail."

"No, my Lord .. never, my Lord.." He got up and took his place in the circle of Death Eaters, marveling at his new hand. And Voldemort crossed with him and began to pace along the row of black-hooded figures, speaking to each in turn. 

Hermione caught the names of Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Nott, and of course, Lucius Malfoy. _Lousy scum_, she thought, _you idiots, what d'you think you're doing? _The snake circling in the grass neared Harry and she yelled, "Go away!" Of course, it did not hear her. It lifted its head and stared through her at Harry, and Hermione didn't like the look in the beady little eyes at all. 

Harry wasn't noticing, however; he was listening to Voldemort's voice. Hermione tuned back in:

"..And here we have six missing Death Eaters .. three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return .. he will pay. One who I believe has left me forever .. he will be killed of course .. and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service."

Who's that? Hermione wondered.

The other Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably in mention of a "one _faithful._" 

"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight .. Yes," Voldemort said, a horrible grin stretching his white face as the Death Eaters turned to look at Harry. 

"Yes, Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honor."

"You are _sick!_" Hermione said to Voldemort, and although he couldn't hear her, it made her feel better to say it.

One of the Death Eaters - Lucius Malfoy - stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Master we crave to know .. we beg you to tell us .. how you have achieved this .. this miracle .. how you managed to return to us?"

"This is very important, Hermione," said Dumbledore's voice in her head, and Hermione jumped. 

"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," Voldemort said calmly. "And it begins - and ends - with my young friend here."

He began to walk towards Harry and Hermione, and the unseen eyes of the Death Eaters followed him, so that all was focused on the tombstone of Voldemort's father. 

"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly. 

His voice sent chills up and down Hermione's back. 

"You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempty to save him - and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not forseen .. I could not touch the boy."

His bony white hand was rising from his robes .. up to Harry's face .. as the long fingers reached up they stopped an inch from his cheek. 

Hermione balled her fists .. 

"His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice .. This is old magic, I should have remembered it. I was foolish to overlook it .. but no matter. I can touch him now."

The pale tip of Voldemort's finger touched Harry's cheek. Harry was clenching his teeth against the scream of pain that was fighting to get out .. 

Voldemort laughed softly into his ear and turned away. 

"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Ah .. pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it."

Yeah, well you deserved it, thought Hermione.

"I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost .. but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know .. I, who have gone further than anyone on the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death."

"We are losing time, Hermione, and it is of the essence," Dumbledore's voice said in her ear. "I will need to merely tell you the gist of what transpired .. Voldemort will explain that he had no body, could only inhabit the bodies of others, and that Wormtail came to him in yours and Harry's third year. Wormtail helped Voldemort capture Bertha Jorkins and she told them all about the Triwizard Cup, plus the existence of Barty Crouch Jr., and then they killed her. Voldemort needed three powerful things for re-birthal: Wormtail's flesh - that of a servant - his father's bone - henceforth this graveyard - and the blood of an enemy."

"Harry's," Hermione whispered. "Harry's blood. His mother's protection .. is that in Voldemort now too?"

"Yes. He used the one faithful Death Eater, Mr. Crouch, to rig the Triwizard Tournament and make sure that Harry was brought here by the Portkey." 

The memory speeded up. Hermione blinked; it was like watching a Muggle movie with the fast-forward button. Voldemort moved back and forth like he was running; then, time slowed down, and Hermione caught the tail end of Voldemort's sentence. 

"And here he is .. the boy you all believed was my downfall .." 

He turned to Harry and raised his wand. 

"No!" screamed Hermione, realizing what he was about to do. 

_"Crucio!"_

Hermione had actually reached over to try and block the spell. It went right through her hand, of course, and hit Harry full-on. 

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. The Death Eater's laughter pounded in her ears as Harry writhed in pain. How was he ever going to live .. oh, Harry!

Voldemort lifted his wand. Harry went limp in the ropes, his hair wet with sweat, and Hermione felt stinging tears prickle her eyes again.

"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me," said Voldemort. "But I want to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, when there is no Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him. I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger. Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."

_You sick freak! _Hermione thought wildly._ How the hell do you think you're going to prove yourself master of the world by killing a fourteen-year-old boy? Some equal chance! He doesn't have half the training you do!_

Wormtail was at Harry's side, cutting the bonds, pulling out Harry's gag. Harry stood on unsteady legs for a second, and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut again. 

The new silver hand gave Harry his wand, and the circle of Death Eaters closed in around them. 

"You have been taught how to duel, Harry Potter?" Voldemort said mockingly. 

Hermione snorted. Lockhart's Dueling Club .. like that had helped. She had a feeling that it would be useless of Harry to say so, of course.

"We bow to each other, Harry," Voldemort said, and barely nodded his head. 

_Don't do it, Harry .. _

Harry didn't. He stood there wand in hand and refused to move. 

"I said, _bow!"_ Voldemort raised his wand and from the way Harry stumbled forward, she knew he had somehow _made_ him bend .. 

"Very good," the Dark Lord said, lifting his wand, and glinting his eyes in the darkness. "And now you face me, like a man .. straight-backed and proud, the way your father died .. 

"And now, _we duel!"_

Voldemort said it so quickly that Harry didn't have time to move. Not fair! screamed Hermione. Voldemort whipped his wand up and hit Harry once again with the Cruciatus Curse. 

Harry was screaming in pain this time, down on his knees, wrenching Hermione to a new level of hatred of Voldemort. _Damn you, damn you,_ she thought, clenching her fists, _if I was real here, I'd kill you so fast!_

Voldemort lifted his wand and Harry got quickly to his feet, though he was shaking violently. He lost his balance and staggered into the Death Eaters .. they shoved him back towards the Dark Lord.

"A little break," Voldemort said, his red eyes shining with a maniacal brilliance, "a little pause .. That hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

Harry was silent, trying to stop shaking. He would not answer. 

"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," snarled Voldemort. "Answer me! Imperio!"

The Imperius Curse - _hah! That won't work on Harry, you idiot, he resisted it in class_! Hermione watched the familiar, dreamy look take Harry's face. But then it was obvious .. he was fighting something .. something he would not do, could not do .. 

"I WON'T!" Harry screamed.

"You won't?" Voldemort said softly. "You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die .. Perhaps another little dose of pain?"

_No, he can't stand another one!_ thought Hermione desperately. 

But she saw him get that tense little quiver a split second before the spell burst from Voldemort's wand, the one that meant he was about to do something quick .. and sure enough, with strength it hadn't looked like he had, he dived a split second before the curse hit him and rolled behind the headstone. The Cruciatus Curse missed him. 

"We are not playing hide and seek, Harry," Voldemort said. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel?"..

Hermione glided over to get a closer look at Harry. He was crouched behind the headstone. His eyes were closed as Voldemort drew nearer. . and suddenly, she saw him grit his teeth and open his eyes. He looked resigned and determined. 

"Expelliarmus!" he yelled, springing out from behind the tombstone and fixing his wand upon Voldemort. 

"Avada Kedavra!" screamed Voldemort, at exactly the same time. 

Green and red light blasted from each direction and sparked together in midair. 

Hermione's hands clenched. 

Yet not red or green, but gold was the color of the bright beam that was suddenly connecting the two wands. Hermione gasped. Both Harry and Voldemort looked as suprised as if the other had turned into a rabbit.

The golden beam vibrated and - Hermione stared along with the Deah Eaters - began to rise into the air, taking Harry and Voldemort - each gripping their wand - along with it. 

They flew away from Hermione and the Death Eaters - she ran after the pair, following the golden brightness like a beacon in the night. They came to rest on a patch of grave-free ground. The Death Eaters scrambled after her, cursing and yelling questions to Voldemort. 

Suddenly, the golden beam split in half - again - again - and again, until hundreds of small golden splinters were surrounding Harry and the Dark Lord in a beautiful glowing cage. 

_What the hell is going on? _Hermione thought. 

_I wish I could see more --_

Without really thinking about it, her feet left the ground and she began to float upwards, towards the golden cage. Her body passed through the golden cords easily, and she could see inside. 

Harry's face was lit by the golden light. He looked unearthly and strange, somehow angelic, bathed in light, glitters of gold off his hair. 

Voldemort's face was contorted with a horrible snarl. 

And then - incredibly - sounding distant and far-off - something like beautiful music, unearthly, smooth music, was coming from every strand of the golden web. Hermione had never heard it before. But Harry seemed to recognize it. She saw his lips move as he murmured, Phoenix song. 

Phoenix song? Hermione wondered. What does that have to do with anything?

The original beam was changing now, too. Something like glittering golden beads of light were forming on it, moving along the current. They were moving steadily towards Harry's wand. 

Hermione watched apprehensively as they moved closer to the wooden tip of the wand. Harry was fighting to keep a grip on it. Sweat was visible on his face. 

The beads of light neared Harry's wand .. 

Something told Hermione that it would not be good if those beads connected with the wand. 

Harry closed his eyes tight and gritted his teeth very hard .. he seemed to be fiercely concentrating on something .. a drop of sweat dripped off his brow .. and the beads of light began, ever so slowly, to reverse direction. They were moving now closer and closer to Voldemort's wand. 

Harry - _you're stronger than him? Is that why they're moving that way?.._

The largest bead was ever so close to Voldemort's wand. He looked furious and his face was contorted in concentration, as Harry's was. 

The bead moved closer .. 

closer .. 

and connected. 

Immediately, Voldemort's wand bucked and did something like a scream of pain .. it was jerking violently, quivering, screaming. 

A smoky hand flew out of the tip of Voldemort's wand and dissolved; Voldemort's glimmering eyes went wide. 

And then .. 

Something else, something big, gray, was coming out of Voldemort's wand. Larger. A human. 

Cedric Diggory. 

Hermione's mouth fell open .. _dear god_ .. 

It spoke, nearly causing Hermione to faint. "Hold on, Harry."

More screams of wand-pain .. and another human began to emerge from the wandtip. An old man, limping heavily. "He was a real wizard, then?" said the old man, eyeing Voldemort. "Killed me, that one did .. you fight him, boy .."

A woman it was this time .. and Hermione recognized the profile of her face from a notice in her Daily Prophet. Bertha Jorkins. "Don't let go, now!" she said to Harry, her voice strangely echo-y. "Don't let him get you, Harry - don't let go!"

The shadowy people began to prowl the edges of the golden web .. Hermione stayed out of the way as they stalked back and forth, hissing words to Voldemort that she couldn't hear. 

And then .. oh, no .. 

The tall man pushing himself out now was the very image of Harry at sixteen. She could have recognized him in her dreams. 

James Potter. 

Harry's mouth fell open. Hermione could see tears sparkling in those big green eyes. 

Harry, if we knew what you went through! screamed Hermione into the spirit world. Why didn't you ever tell us?

Another woman - Lily Potter - was appearing out of Voldemort's wand now. _Oh, Lily .. I wish you could have been there to watch Harry grow up .. _

She whispered words to Harry, who looked as though he might cry, but nodded. James and Cedric whispered to him, too. 

"One.." whispered James. 

Hermione suddenly got a notion of what they were planning. 

"Two.."

She turned her gaze on Harry. Cedric said, "Take my body back, will you? Back to my parents."

"Three..let go now!"

"NOW!" Harry yelled, and he yanked his wand up and out of the gold beam's grip. The cage of light flickered and disappeared. The haunting music faded. But the shadowy James, Lily, Cedric, and others remained, closing in on Voldemort, encircling him..

Harry leapt forward and began to run before any of the Death Eaters could catch him. Hermione silently urged him on._ Go, Harry!_

The Death Eaters recovered. They began to chase Harry. Spells flew past, narrowly missing him. "Stun him!" she heard Voldemort scream. 

_Harry!_ - 

"Accio!" Harry screamed, bringing the Triwizard Cup towards him. He gripped Cedric's limp hand and the Portkey worked its magic .. 

Harry was gone. And only a graveyard full of Death Eaters and a very angry Voldemort was left. 

The Pensieve swirled, and Hermione's feet lifted, and she was once more carried into Dumbledore's office. 

She fell to her knees as her feet hit solid floor again. She didn't look up, her face awash in tears. "Harry!" she said to Dumbledore. "Why didn't he ever tell us what he went through? Why? We would have helped him!"

"Come, Hermione," Dumbledore's voice said, and he helped her to her feet. "It was Harry's judgment. I believe he was afraid that you two would look amiss at him if he told you exactly what happened."

As Hermione lifted her head, she saw that Ron and Cho were sitting as well in Dumbledore's office. Ron was extremely white; Cho was in tears.

"They were watching as well through the Pensieve," Dumbledore explained. 

Ron nodded. Cho burst into fresh tears.

"I was so stupid!" she wailed. "He tricked me - the boy on the lake - he said Harry killed Cedric!"

Hermione was suddenly struck with a wave of hot anger towards Cho. "Yeah?" she yelled at Cho, unable to contain herself. "So what did this magic boy that appeared out of nowhere say to you that made you think Harry killed him?!"

"Hermione, please!" said Dumbledore, looking rebukingly at Hermione. "Accusations won't help Harry. What we need to know is, where did they take him?"

"I don't know!" sobbed Cho. "T-they attacked us - they w-went for him - he was d-defending me - but I grabbed his w-wand away - and they knocked him unconcious and A-Apparated away!"

"You grabbed his wand away?" said Dumbledore, his voice suddenly urgent. 

Cho nodded guiltily. 

"Do you still have it?" Hermione asked, beginning to see what Dumbledore was getting at. 

Cho blinked at them; then brightness began to dawn in her face. She plunged a hand into her robes. "I think I do!" She held up a very dirty wand, which Hermione recognized as Harry's. 

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said, his eyes blazing behind his glasses. "This may be the very clue that can lead us to Harry. Hermione," he said, fixing the bright blue eyes on Hermione, "have you perchance come across the spell known as the Locator Spell in your readings?"

Hermione bit her lip. "That sounds familiar .. yeah! It's a spell you can perform on a magical object belonging to the person .. like Harry's wand. And it'll show you where he is!" 

"Correct." Dumbledore reached for Harry's wand and pulled out his own wand. _"Disclose locale!" _

The wand began to glow and twitch. Dumbledore released it and it hung in the air by itself, quivering. Then, quite suddenly, it snapped up and began write shimmering letters in the air as if someone was writing with it. 

_Godric's Hollow, England._

Then the wand dropped to the floor. 

Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, and Cho stared at the writing. 

"Godric's Hollow?" said Ron. 

"There isn't a Godric's Hollow anymore!" Hermione burst out. "The spell somehow went wrong!"

"What's Godric's Hollow?" said Ron. "Why isn't it there anymore?"

"It was the Potter's place of residence," said Dumbledore softly. He was still staring at the words. "Fifteen years ago."

"Oh," Ron said.

"They renamed it after that," explained Hermione. "It's now a park. A magical community. No one wanted to stay there after the attack. They turned it into a park and renamed it out of respect to Lily and James."

"Well, that's not good," Ron observed. 

Cho sniffled.

"I don't get it, Professor!" exclaimed Hermione, running her hands through her hair. "What does it mean? Why would .."

She trailed off, as Dumbledore had grabbed her arm.

"Hermione!" he said feverishly. She looked at him. "What?"

"He's gone to Godric's Hollow - and the only place where that exists is _in the past!"'_

Hermione gasped, suddenly realizing what Dumbledore meant. 

"Huh?" said Ron.

"Fifteen years!" Hermione exclaimed. "Fifteen years, Ron! What if Voldemort's taken Harry _into the past?_ If he defeats the baby Harry .. then all the good that his parents' sacrifice, all that has been done to drive Voldemort back will be undone! _He'll be back at the height of his powers!"_

There was a sudden silence in the room. 

"That would not be good," Ron said. 

Cho, Dumbledore, and Hermione all glared at him. 

He shrank back and held up his hands. "Hey, don't kill the messenger."

Hermione turned back to Dumbledore. "We need a Time-Turner, don't we? Do you have one?"

Dumbledore opened a drawer of his desk and drew out a small hourglass hanging on a fine chain. Mutely, he handed it to her. 

"So -- we're going to go and help him, right?" Hermione said, taking the hourglass and holding it tightly against her palm. 

_"We_ are not, Hermione." His gaze met hers. 

_"You_ are, however."

*

_A/N: Reviews, reviews, don't you want the next part? ;) _


	6. Part 6

_A/N: Next part! Rejoice! And read! And review! (Warning: it gets a little scary, but not as much as the next part! ;)_

  
  


"What? _Me?"_ Hermione gasped after a moment of stunned silence. "Why not you? You're a much more powerful wizard than I am!" 

Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "Right now," he said, "for this battle, he needs you, and you alone. I cannot explain why now. I assume, of course, that you are willing to go?"

"Of course I'll go!" Hermione said. "But - but why -"

Dumbledore put his hands on her shoulders and she looked up into the piercing blue eyes. "Hermione, you are going to experience great danger if you go on this trip. Perhaps, though I most sincerely hope not, death. But I need you to go, and more importantly, Harry needs you to go. This is one battle that I cannot help him with. He needs someone who loves him more deeply than anyone else .. and unless I am much mistaken, you are that one." 

Hermione blushed. "So you've noticed."

Dumbledore grinned at her for a second. Then he sobered. He took the Time-Turner from her hand and placed it over her neck. 

"Hold on!" said Ron. He picked up Harry's wand from the floor and handed it to her. "You might need this."

"Thanks, Ron." Hermione slipped Harry's wand into her pocket and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a sweetie, Ron. It's too bad I'm already taken." 

Ron snorted and grinned at her. "See ya later, sweetheart," he tossed a thumbs-up at her and winked, reminding her intensely of Fred and George. "Take care of yourself, you hear? I want Harry back unharmed. And you too."

Hermione turned to Cho. 

"I'm sorry it had to be like this, Cho."

Cho didn't meet her eyes. "So am I, Hermione." Slowly, she looked up at Hermione. "But maybe you could tell Harry sorry for me when you see him?"

"I will." Hermione checked for her own wand. "I guess I'm set, Professor."

"All right. Miss Granger, fifteen turns should do it. You know the drill." 

Hermione smiled. She took one last look at Ron, Cho, and Dumbledore's office, and turned the tiny hourglass. 

Years flew by. Bright colors, half-formed images, wild forests, dark streets, bright sunny fields, all mixed together into a sort of wonderful terrifying collage. Hermione blinked, dizzy. She'd never gone back this far in time. 

And suddenly, the scenery formed itself into a dark street, a few streetlights the only source of warmth. Houses lined the street, mostly dark, surrounded by great trees. Heart pounding, Hermione spun around.

There was no one there. 

Did something go wrong? Hermione wondered, automatically tucking the Time-Turner back underneath her blouse. How come no one's here?

She looked around and checked the numbers on the houses. She followed the numbers until she came to the dead end of the street. The last house on the street was small but cozy-looking; it was surrounded by a great deal of trees and a charming little stone path. 

Although she already knew it was so, she looked for and saw the neat little number on the house. 13 Godric's Hollow. 

Hermione looked away, her eyes prickling with tears. Lily and James were inside there right now .. with baby Harry .. alive .. 

And then, she caught a glimmer of light from far away down the opposite end of the street. Something bright green, glowing steadily in the dark street. It seemed to be moving closer. 

Hermione, afraid she would be seen, scrambled to hide behind another neighbor's large, hideous plastic Halloween pumpkin that someone had apparently thought was cute and had set up in their yard. 

The green light drew closer. She could make out the shapes, now of hooded figures .. at least ten or twelve of them. 

Two flames of red shimmered out of the darkness, and Hermione felt coldness creep up her spine and threaten to overcome her. 

It was Lord Voldemort's eyes. 

He was head of the procession, leading the Death Eaters, and between him and the Death Eaters, under guard of two of them, was a bright green ball that floated a few feet off the ground. There was something odd about the green .. it was .. 

it was .. holding someone inside .. curled up into a ball .. 

it was Harry. 

Hermione's heartbeat quickened. It was Harry, indeed (how could she not have seen?) curled up into a ball inside the green sphere. He appeared to be unconscious. His hair floated freely inside the green, like he was underwater. 

What had they done to him?

As the Death Eaters drew closer, Hermione reached into her pocket for the wands. But something seemed to tell her, not yet. Not yet. 

The procession halted a few houses away from the one at the end of the block. Voldemort turned to face the Death Eaters, a wide grin on his face. He raised his arms. 

"My fellow Death Eaters," he began, and his voice was ringing with triumph and a coldblooded passion that brought a shiver to Hermione's frame, "our ultimate moment of jubiliation is upon us. In a few minutes, we shall be returned to our former glory, through the help of my young friend here, and we shall be re-raised to heights of power never yet seen in the world. We will be the ultimate rulers of the world, and no one, not the Muggle-loving freak Albus Dumbledore, not the bumbling fool Cornelius Fudge, not even my ultimate nemesis, who was kind enough to join me .. yet again .. for my ceremony of renewal!"

_What is he going to do?_ Hermione thought, creasing her brow. _Why does he need Harry for this? He could've just gone back and killed the baby Harry himself... There must be something he's going to force Harry to do.._

The Death Eaters were cheering. Voldemort's grin, half-hidden in the shadows, curled across his white snake-face. He raised his wand and gestured for the Death Eaters to move away from Harry. 

"_Coccica!" _

The green sphere shimmered and began to lower itself to the ground. Harry's feet touched the street, then the bubble burst. Harry tumbled to the ground and lay there, unmoving. 

Voldemort's laughter rang through the night. 

Hermione clenched her wand, her ears full of a strange ringing .. 

And slowly, Harry gathered himself off the ground, his face hidden in shadows as he stood stiffly up, looking around him in confusion. 

Harry! Hermione thought. 

But the eyes that swept past her when he looked her way weren't green. 

They were red. 

  
  


*

  
  


_A/N: There's nothing to say. Review! ;)_


	7. Part 7

_A/N: Sorry, this part is short. It's kind of confusing .. you have to read pretty carefully to figure out what's going on .. but hopefully it'll become clear! Read!_

  
  


Harry's head pounded as he opened his eyes and stared down at the grass he was lying on. Where had he gotten to? Why wasn't he at his four-poster at Hogwarts? 

He gathered himself to a crouch and stood up slowly, looking back and forth to see where he was. 

It was a grassy meadow, lit brightly by the sun, that he had never been to before. What ..?

He turned around, touching his pocket to find his wand. It wasn't there. 

But there, behind him, stood a figure. The figure of Albus Dumbledore. 

"Dumbledore!" Harry cried, his voice showing his obvious relief. 

*

Hermione watched Harry look around in bewilderment. It was as if he could see no one, though the Death Eaters and Voldemort clustered around him. The Death Eaters were laughing their heads off. 

_Harry_, Hermione thought, _what's wrong? Run! Do something!_

Harry pivoted on the spot, his hand going to his pocket where he kept his wand. It wasn't there. 

Then Harry turned full around, and his eyes fell on Voldemort's figure, who was standing slightly away from the others. His whole face lit up as his eyes rested on Voldemort. 

"Dumbledore!" he cried happily. 

Hermione nearly fell out of her hiding place behind the plastic pumpkin. _What?_

Harry took a few steps towards Voldemort, a grin on his face. The red color was more noticable than ever. 

Hermione gaped at Harry. _What the hell are you doing, Harry?_

*

Dumbledore was just standing there, looking at him. Harry stopped in his tracks, confused. 

"What's going on, Professor?" he said, staring at the headmaster. 

Suddenly, Dumbledore threw his head back and began to laugh. Harry jumped. It was quite the last thing he'd expected him to do. 

And now his laughter seemed to be echoing .. there was more, faint laughter from all around him .. cruel, malicious laughter .. 

Dumbledore stopped laughing, and the echoes (_were_ they echoes?) stopped too. He came closer and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. His hand was cold as death. 

"Welcome, my boy."

"What?"

"You have finally reached it. The land of Immortals."

"What -- what do you mean? The land of - Immortals?"

"It is the ultimate achievement, Harry. When a wizard of great power - like yourself and I - makes the final turn into surpreme strength, he is then accepted into the Immortals' land."

"What?" Harry stared around him at the grassy meadow. Out of no where, a great rock had suddenly appeared. 

Dumbledore gestured at the huge rock. It was the size of a house.

"However, you must undergo one last test before you enter, Harry. You must destroy this - rock - here, completely, with one curse. Choose carefully, my student. You must destroy the rock with only one spell, and it must be entirely disintegrated. You understand?"

"Yes .. " Harry raised his wand. 

*

Hermione watched in horror as Voldemort walked straight up to Harry and placed his hand upon Harry's shoulder. Harry jerked a little - hadn't he said his scar hurt when Voldemort was near? Well, he was near now - but he looked trustingly up at the Dark Lord. 

He must be under a spell, Hermione decided. They couldn't make him do that under his own free will. Never. Not her Harry. 

She leaned closer to catch their words. 

"..However, you must undergo one last test before you enter, Harry." 

He turned towards the Potters' house. 

"You must destroy this - rock - here, completely, with one curse."

_Oh, god, no!_ Hermione thought in anguish, the two wands falling out of her hand in shock. _He's going to make Harry destroy himself - as a baby!_

And Harry was stepping back, measuring the house with his suddenly-red eyes, trying to decide how to vaporize it. 

Hermione crouched behind the pumpkin, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew better than anybody what Harry was capable of. If anyone could destroy a house with one spell, it was Harry. He had so much power in him, it was unbelievable. If only he would pick up a book once in a while. 

He didn't have a wand, though. He couldn't do it without his wand .. 

..could he? Hermione had heard of such powerful wizards that they didn't need wands. But Harry wasn't a fully trained wizard. He needed it. 

"Here," Voldemort said with a smirk, stepping forth and offering Harry his own wand. It lay benign in his palm as Harry reached cautiously towards it. 

"It feels .. odd," he said, lifting the wand. It was longer than his own wand. "Like it's mine .. only different .."

Voldemort nodded. "Part of the trial is to see how you do with an unfamiliar wand."

Harry raised the wand. 

Hermione clenched the two wands into her palm. She could stand it no longer. 

"HARRY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, lunging out from behind the plastic pumpkin and running towards him as fast as she could. "HARRY, WAKE UP, IT'S ME, HERMIONE!!"

  
  


_A/N: This is the second-to-last part! Yay!! That doesn't mean you shouldn't review, though!_


	8. Part 8 - Finale!

_A/N: What can I say? This is the last part. The moment of truth. Please review, or else I'll never write a story again. ;) Just kidding. _

  
  


Harry turned towards her as she ran towards him. The Death Eaters stood frozen in shock as she sprinted towards them, deathly afraid but screaming at the top of her lungs, hoping against hope that Harry might recognize her ..

"Hermione?" he said, the red glow fading from his eyes as Voldemort's wand slipped from his hand. 

Hermione's heart burst into joy. He knew her!

"Hermione," he said, staring at her, "where are we? What's going on? A minute ago it was day, and now it's night!"

Voldemort let out a horrible scream of fury just as Hermione reached Harry. It made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. 

"NO!" he shouted, raising his hand and crying, "Accio!" His wand flew into his hand. 

"NO!" he screamed again, his red eyes blazing with a fury that scared Hermione rigid.

Even the Death Eaters were backing away. 

"Harry - your wand!" Hermione cried, forcing his wand into his hand. He closed his fingers over it almost unconsciously. As soon as he gripped it, something spread over his face, like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him. Realization. 

Hermione's heart leapt. _Maybe we have a chance .. _

"STUPID GIRL!" screamed Voldemort, brandishing his wand at Hermione. 

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" screamed Harry, with equal force, and he whipped his wand around in a circle at the Death Eaters. Hermione could almost feel the anger radiating off him. One by one, the Death Eaters dropped to the ground, unconscious or dead, Hermione couldn't tell.

He and Hermione were left standing in the center of a circle of limp Death Eaters. 

Almost unconsciously, Harry moved in front of Hermione and stared straight into Voldemort's flaming ruby eyes. 

"I won't."

Harry's words, spoken softly, drove Hermione like an icicle. She lifted her own wand, facing Voldemort, ready to face whatever he threw at them. 

_"Avada Kedavra!"_ Voldemort screamed, losing his head. 

_The Unblockable Curse! _

Hermione's mind shrieked that she was going to die .. 

No! I _won't!_ I won't! Harry won't give in, and neither will I! I _won't_ give in! _I won't give in! _

"I WON'T GIVE IN!" she yelled, at exactly the same time as Harry. 

Voldemort's curse bounced off them and shattered into a thousand green slivers. 

Voldemort was staring at them, his eyes unbelieving. 

"No .. not possible .. not possible .." he muttered. 

Then he snapped back. 

"All right, if one won't do it, then perhaps I need to kill you again!" he shouted, almost in self-defense. "_Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!"_

But the spells, like the one before it, bounced off the shield created by Harry and Hermione's wills. 

Harry smiled at Voldemort from behind the shield. 

"You can't do it, Voldemort," he said. 

Beads of sweat were sliding down Voldemort's white face; he looked more resolute than ever. 

"I said, you can't do it, Voldemort," Harry repeated, stepping closer to the Dark Lord. Voldemort took an involuntary step back as Harry advanced. 

"You can't do it, Voldemort, because two are stronger than one," Hermione joined in. She felt a strange feeling, a feeling of immense power, in the shield. They were invincible together .. Voldemort had thrown his ultimate curse at them, and it had failed. Power radiated through the two; she could feel it coursing through both of them. She suddenly saw that Harry had taken her hand unconsciously. 

Voldemort backed away slowly as they advanced, trying not to show fear. 

"Two are stronger than one, Voldemort!" Harry shouted joyfully, repeating Hermione's words. "You can't defeat us as long as we stick together!" 

Voldemort glared at him, his fury radiating through the mask of fear. 

Suddenly, he turned and dived straight for them. Harry and Hermione hadn't expected this; Voldemort's physical attack without magic caught them completely by surprise. 

Voldemort's wild dive separated their hands, and the shield flickered - Hermione bit her lip -- but held. 

The Dark Lord whipped around, expecting to find their guards down, but the shield was still up. It was visible now, an aura of beautiful shimmery iridescence surrounding the boy and the girl. 

"I will return!" Voldemort screamed. "I'll find you! You can't always be together!" 

He pulled the Time-Turner out from beneath his robes. Neither Harry nor Hermione made a move to stop him as he turned it - and disappeared. 

The shield flickered, then died. Harry and Hermione stood silently, looking at each other for a moment stretched into eternity, the Death Eater's bodies scattered all around. 

Then, slowly, Harry stepped forward to Hermione. She blushed and looked away. 

"Hermione .." Harry whispered. He took her hand. She looked into his bright beautiful green eyes. 

"I can't believe I was so stupid all these years. ." he said, staring straight into her eyes. 

Hermione said nothing. He had a cut on his cheek that was dripping blood. 

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he said, taking both her hands. "I - I've always liked you too, except -- Krum, and .."

"You don't have to apologize, Harry," Hermione said. She felt weird: lightheaded. "You don't have to apologize," she said again. 

Harry looked as if he was about to argue, but instead, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply. She felt herself returning it, putting her arms around him, and it was perfect, as if she and Harry were meant exactly for each others' arms. 

They had nothing to say when they broke apart. They looked at each other, and smiled, and knew, but there was nothing to say because they both knew. 

Hermione reached into her robes and pulled out the Time-Turner. She put out a hand and gathered Harry close to her, then turned it. 

Time and colors whirled. 

And Hermione had nothing to fear as she went back, facing the wild colors, because she had Harry at her side. 

  
  


* 

THE END


End file.
